At least five people dead after plane crashes into the sea

Awful news.

The plane was on a test flight to prepare for parachute training when it crashed near Hua Hin Airport.

The aircraft, which was a small police plane, had six police officers on board when it crashed at around 8am local time.

Five officers died at the scene while a sixth was taken to hospital.

There are conflicting reports on the condition of the sixth person on board with some publications stating that they remain in a critical condition while others claim they died while in hospital.

The cause of the crash remains unknown.

Some locals close to the scene of the crash rushed to the wreckage in search of survivors, while others contacted the emergency services.

Police Gerneral Kittirat Phanphet said in a statement: "The families of the victims will be closely supported and funeral arrangements will be made for them. I have ordered a detailed investigation into the cause of the crash."

In another update, a police spokesperson said: "We are currently coordinating with relevant agencies to provide assistance because the incident occurred in the sea, far from the shore, which makes it difficult to provide assistance. If there are any further details, we will report them."